The case against Azerbaijani writer Akram Aylisli, who previously faced charges of ‘hooliganism’ after being detained at Baku Haydar Aliyev International Airport on 30 March 2016, has expanded to include charges of ‘resisting the authorities with violence’. Under Article 315.1 of the criminal code, this is punishable by up to …

Police detained writer Akram Aylisli for 11 hours at Baku’s Heydar Aliyev Airport, preventing him from traveling to a literary festival in Venice, Italy at which he was scheduled to appear, reported Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty on 30 March 2016. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Interior reported that Aylisli was …

Foreign nationals who took part in the concert of internationally renowned Russian opera singer Lyubov Kazarnovskaya in the city of Hankendi (Stepanakert) in Nagorno-Karabakh on 2 September 2015 have been placed on the list of undesirable persons, head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev said. …

“Lady Gaga’s surprise appearance in Baku, Azerbaijan, where she performed at the opening ceremony of the inaugural European Games, drew immediate condemnation from the international human rights community — as well it should,” wrote Global Post’s Rebecca Vincent. “Lady Gaga’s appearance was a stark contrast to Bono’s impassioned appeal for …

Rasul Jafarov, 29, one of Azerbaijan’s best-known human rights activists and government critics, was sentenced on 16 April to six years and six months in prison on charges including tax evasion and abuse of power. He has also been barred from holding any office for three years following his release, reported …

Organisers of the forthcoming European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, which is held in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, have asked the Belarusian team to refrain from playing music by Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian, head coach of the Belarusian team Irina Laperskaya told a press conference in Minsk. The Azerbaijani authorities have long banned …

The Nakhijevan TV and Radio Broadcasting Committee has banned broadcasting of all foreign music on Nakhijevan radio channels, the Azerbaijani news portal Haqqin.az reported. “The ban includes genres such as rock and rap, regardless if they have been produced within Azerbaijan and are sung in the Azerbaijani language. It includes …

A new 33-page report by Art for Democracy details cases of violations of the right to artistic freedom of expression over the past three years in Azerbaijan. According to the report, ‘Creativity Under Pressure: Artistic Freedom of Expression in Azerbaijan’, the Azerbaijani authorities have used a range of tactics to …